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The Palestinian Prime Minister resigns

The Palestinian Prime Minister resigns

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh said on Monday that he was resigning to allow for a broad consensus among Palestinians on political settlements after the war in the Gaza Strip.

This signals a willingness by the Western-backed Palestinian leadership to accept changes that could lead to reforms, which are seen as necessary to revitalize the Palestinian Authority.

The United States wants a reformed Palestinian Authority to govern the Gaza Strip after the end of the war between Israel and Hamas, which the United States and the European Union consider a terrorist organization.

President Mahmoud Abbas must decide whether to accept the resignation of Prime Minister Shtayyeh and his Government and may ask him to remain in office until a permanent replacement is appointed.

In a statement to the government, Shtayyeh, an academic economist who took office in 2019, said the next phase must take into account the new reality in the Gaza Strip, which has been devastated after nearly five months of heavy fighting.

He said that in addition to new political arrangements, "the extension of the authority of the (Palestinian) administration to the whole country, Palestine, is needed."

The Palestinian Authority, formed 30 years ago under the Oslo Interim Peace Agreement, has limited authority over parts of the occupied West Bank, but lost power in Gaza after fighting with Hamas in 2007./ REL

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